CHOICES

Jesus’s obedience in the garden of gethsemane where He said "I will" to Gods eternal demands can easily be paralleled to mans disobedience in the garden of Eden where they said "I will not" to Gods demands drawing our attention to an invaluable timeless truth about decisions & choices every individual must take cognizance of if we are to have the sort of impact that transcends the corridors of time itself. Paul in Romans 5:19 lays down succinctly this parallel of obedience against disobedience in light of what both choices accomplished for humanity when he writes that; "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

Choices & decisions we make or do not make have the ability to alter the very course and pathway of our destinies beyond any possible reality we could have ever imagined. A simple no or yes as irrelevant and puny as it may appear to be may be the very reason for setting up your entire generation after you for failure or for success. Wrong choices especially often times do not appear apparent particularly because it’s usually shrouded in a very convincing appeal which requires deep thought, deliberation and even self control to confidently reject. Right decisions on the other hand, too many times on the surface appears very disappointing, unprofitable and even painful. It usually would take one’s ability to look beyond the current short term discomfort in order to make the right choice.

The choices of the first Adam and the second Adam should paint for us a stunning and insightful observation that the choices we make or otherwise do not just have the tendency to affect and effect noticeable changes in our personal lives but even more so has the ability to alter the very lives of the people around us and those yet to come after us. If you ask me, I think the greatest human capability God bestows on man that even He Himself has vowed not to violate is mans status of being a creature of free will. A being able to make his or her own decisions and choices void of any external cohesion or pressure. Tagged along this free will gift are the by products of responsibility and consequence which are always present wherever and whenever there’s free will.

God tells His people in Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT that "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!" Gods eternal nature gives Him the ability to know the outcome of every thought and action of man and yet He is not in any way predetermining anyone’s actions. His accurate knowledge of our actions and it’s outcomes does not allow Him to violate our free will.

Just because you we are free to choose does not mean we can and should choose anyhow without a sober reflection on what our decisions and choices can or can not do to us.

There are those who struggle to believe and accept the emotional and psychological turmoil Jesus had to endure in order to finally submit His will to the Fathers will by choosing to die on the cross. Maybe it’s because they still view Him as only fully divine. But being also fully human, He was prone to such difficulties as we face when we sometimes are faced with certain decisions that need to be made requiring help beyond us. Just like Jesus, the believer has a sure advantage in the place of prayer whenever we are faced with the daunting task of making life changing decisions. Prayer brings us into oneness with the father so we become acquainted with His will in every situation. Always remember, your choices are yours but it’s effects goes beyond you.